Alumni of the 317th Engineer Battalion, along with the Army Engineer Association and the U.S. Army Engineer School, conducted a plaque dedication ceremony April 18 for engineer Soldiers who served the 317th Engineer Battalion with dedication and honor.

The ceremony took place in the Lt. Gen. Daniel Schroder Engineer Regimental Room, John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex, which is where the plaque will remain on display.

Col. Robert Tipton, the unit's commander from 2001 to 2003, said it was heartwarming to see those in attendance for the 317th Engineer Battalion plaque dedication, which was long overdue.

Tipton thanked retired 1st Sgt. Brian Black, for being the catalyst who made the plaque dedication happen. He also expressed gratitude to the unit's alumni for their contributions.

Tipton spoke about the history of the unit, whose members fought on the battlefields of World Wars I and II, Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Tipton said he hopes to see the 317th Engineer Battalion's colors uncased once again.

The unit was officially deactivated in 2004.

The 317th Engineer Battalion was constituted on Oct. 24, 1917, and organized at Camp Sherman, Ohio, as the 317th Engineer Regiment, 92nd Division.

The Lt. Gen. Daniel Schroder Engineer Regimental Room is used to display plaques and colors of deactivated engineer units and serves as a place for graduations, retirements, military training and unit activations and inactivations.